2278: A Space Odyssey
by Jay08
Summary: The Lone Wanderer & his companion are taken from the familiar Wastes & brought to a strange sterile place populated by even stranger creatures. James now finds himself & his friend in the middle of an unknown ship, fighting beings out to exterminate them. In order to save themselves & Earth, they must band together with the other captives & fight back. (Rating will change)
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: So here is some info about this:**_

_**-This story is suppose to be a continuation from the story Homeward Bound which took place a year and a half after the Lone Wanderers escape from Vault 101. So the date matchs up. **_

_**- The rating will change eventually to a higher rating, because frankly this story will contain more mature content later.**_

_**- More info will be presented at the end of this chapter. **_

_**Remember to R & R**_

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><p>A loud buzzing sound woke the sleeping daughter of the Mack family from her recent nightmare. It had become a common occurrence, these bad dreams about raiders and mutants. But this time, she woke to find her dream may have been reality. Screaming surrounded her, and she was in a very sterile looking cell. The last thing she remembered was…walking through the wastes with James alone. He had taken her out…to teach her about….something. Her head hurt so much, she couldn't remember what they were even doing out in the wastes. Getting to her feet she approached the doorway, but as she touched it she was quickly repelled backwards into the wall. She groaned in pain, as a chuckle escaped another part of the cell. Swinging around, Susie Mack saw an older woman sitting on the floor watching her.<p>

"Look whose finally up…" The woman said, a hint of condescension in her tone.

"Where…where am I?" Susie asked, looking around the room.

The woman got up from the floor and approached Susie. She wore a white jumpsuit that Susie never saw before in the wastes. It did not take long before Susie realised, that she was also wearing a jumpsuit identical to the woman's.

"Hell If I know kid, but I don't think we want to stick around to find out why we're here." The strange woman said, to a disorientated Susie Mack.

"What...Are you talking about?" Susie asked, as a loud mechanical noise approached.

"Shit…its coming. Hug the wall!" The woman shouted, ordering Susie to press against the wall.

"Wha-AHH!" Susie shouted, as she was charged into the wall of the cell.

In this moment, Susie noticed something strange on the woman's neck. A symbol had been printed on the woman's neck, and the strange part was that it seemed recent. Overhead, a large mechanical claw drifted over them, passing them much to the cellmate's relief. Moments later, a man was seen screaming in the claws grip, as he was carried away from the cells.

"Phew! That was close…" the woman said as she held Susie against the wall.

Yeah…." Susie said, uneasy with how close the woman was to her.

"Names Somah…nice to meet ya." She introduced, as a smile crossed her face.

"Susie…um what was that thing?" Susie asked Somah, as she felt grip soften slowly.

"I have no idea…but I know we don't want to be here if it comes back." Somah explained, as she let go of Susie's hands completely.

"Where…Am I?" Susie asked, as she rubbed her wrists and surveyed the cell.

"Listen honey, if I knew I'd tell ya…but right now we gotta focus on getting our fine asses out of here." Somah said, as if she had a hell of a plan in mind for escape.

Susie couldn't focus on what was being said to her, as she tried to recall the events that led up to her occupying the cell. Her memory was a blank, but she did remember something important.

"There was someone with me!" Susie shouted, catching Somah's attention.

"Huh?" Somah asked, as she stood back from Susie.

"A…A friend…we were together when…I don't know….. this big light…" Susie attempted to explain, as her memory defeated her recollection.

"Look honey…this friend of yours might be dead for all we know. I say we don't waste our time with this shit and focus on the plan." Somah explained, as she shook her head in disappointment.

"No…We need to find him!" Susie barked, as her heart thumped with fear and desire for the safety of James.

"Look…let's just get out of here first and then…MAYBE…we can find your friend." Somah stated, her tone masking a tone of defeat and anger.

"Okay…what's the plan?" Susie asked, confused at what could possibly get them out of here.

"You aint gonna like this sweetie….but I am sorry." Somah said, placing both hands on Susie's cheeks.

Suddenly, Susie was sent tumbling to the ground from a fierce punch to her jaw. She was then kicked hard in the gut, by the woman who had spoken so kindly to her moments prior.

"Fuck you!" Somah shouted, as her foot connected with Susie's gut once again.

"You little bitch!" Somah continued, gripping Susie's hair and pulling it hard.

Susie cried in pain, as she was brutalized by her cellmate. Susie felt fear grip her tightly. There was no back up this time for her.

"Stand up and fight me!" Somah shouted, as the buzzing sound stopped.

The doorway was clear, and some little green men came running into the cell. Somah turned to them quickly and kicked the closest one across the jaw. Susie struggled to get to her feet, her body feeling the after effects of the beating. The sound of something rolling towards her, broke her out of her pained state. A small glowing rod was in her reach, while her cell mate struggled with the little monsters attacking her. Susie grabbed the rod, and quickly jammed it into the back of one of the monsters heads. The creature screamed in a high pitched and blood curdling tone, before its head seemed to blow up. A mucus coloured liquid came erupting from the dead creature's cranium, showering the cells living occupants with its brain matter. As the other one watched in horror, Somah took the opportunity to finish off the creature by throwing it at the glowing cell door opposite to them. Just like Susie, the creature repelled back towards the wall in range of the door. The same wall Susie had hit minutes ago, only at a greater distance and speed. Its body splattered into pieces as it struck the wall, causing Susie to vomit violently at the sight and stench of the creature's corpses.

"Comon…we got to get moving." Somah, ordered as Susie glared at her.

"What the hell you crazy bitch!" Susie barked as she got to her feet, rage in her eyes.

"Whoah….no need to talk like that!" Somah stated, as she stepped back away from the door.

"You almost killed me!" Susie shouted, as she marched towards the woman.

"Don't be a drama queen." Somah stated, before getting a hard slap across her face.

Somah glared at the young woman, before turning to face the other cells. Susie looked around the hallway, not seeing much difference between the sterile cell she came from and the hallway. Susie's eyes met with the symbol on Somah's neck once again. It was like someone tried to draw a triangle, but had too many lines going through the middle of it.

"I deserved that…" Somah admitted, as Susie's hand ran along the back of her own neck.

She felt a symbol on her own neck as well, but it felt differently to how Somah's appeared. While Somah's was a triangle in shape, Susie's felt like a crown with a circular bottom on it. She also realised it burnt to touch, and quickly removed her hand.

"Yes…you did. What about the others?" Susie asked, a concerned tone present in her voice.

"Others?" Somah asked, a disappointed and irritated tone present in her voice.

"The others cells… We have to help the people inside them." Susie explained, trying to sound as in control as she could at that very moment.

"Oh you have got to be shitting me! Look honey…I think this whole damsel to the rescue thing is cute and all…but the thing is, it's not worth being thrown back in a cell over." Somah barked, as she was starting to get angry with her cell mate.

"But maybe we can use their help!" Susie shouted, not wanting to start a fight with the woman who freed her.

"Why the fuck would they help us?!" Somah asked, wanting to know just what the bitch from the cell was thinking.

"Because they are prisoners too! They don't want to die, and want to get back at these…things!" Susie explained, trying to get Somah to understand why this was a good idea.

"…You may have a point." Somah admitted, as she approached the cell opposite to their own.

"Yeah…so how do we do that?" Susie asked, admitting she had no idea what to do now.

"No fucking idea Hun. I can't understand this stuff." Somah admitted, revealing that she too had little to no idea on how to free these people.

"I can!" A voice echoed from an intercom in a cell nearby.

"I understand how to use this stuff… and can help you get out of here!" The voice echoed further, as the two women came into view of the speaker.

"You're a kid…." Somah stated, glaring at the little girl behind the force field.

"So?" the child asked, as Susie remained speechless.

"So…how do we know we can trust you?" Somah asked, wanting a quick answer from the brat.

"She's not a raider Somah…she's a kid. I think we can trust her." Susie said, smiling at the small girl behind the force field.

Just then a loud siren blared through the hallways, echoing a deafening sound into the ears of the women. The sound soon died down to a lower tone, but could still be heard throughout the hallways.

"The fuck is that!?" Somah asked, as Susie covered her ears with her hands to save her from the alarm's tone.

"The alarm…you may want to get me out of here fast!" The child stated, panic in her tone.

"How do we do that?!" Somah barked, as Susie began to panic.

"Press the three round spinning circles in the control panel next to the door." The child explained, as she mimed out the actions of unlocking the door.

"There!" Somah announced as the force field died, releasing the child from the cell.

"Okay…So we better get to breaking these suckers out huh?" the kid said, as she stepped out into the hallway.

"Why?" Susie asked, trying to sound as in control as James did in situations like this.

"Because soon, the entire cell block will be in lock down. Then none's getting out." The kid explained, somewhat hinting she had done this before.

"Well…let's get to it." Susie stated, as she looked towards the other cells.

"Yeah! Girl's Rule!" the child announced in an enthusiastic manner, bringing a smile to Susie's face.

"I think I'm gonna regret this shit!" Somah stated in regret, as Susie and the kid walked towards the next cell.

James awoke some time earlier, at the hands of an alien electrocuting him. His body was completely naked, and strapped to an operating table. His body in pain, and a burning sensation on the back of his neck. To make things more complicated, he was missing his cybernetic arm. This pissed him off, more so then the fact he was captured. It was then that he realised his captors were aliens, and in somewhat disbelief glared at the black eyed green midget.

"You have got to be shitting me." James announced in disbelief, before he was electrocuted again.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" James roared, his breathing heavier as the charge stopped.

"?" the Alien said, in a tone that James could not understand.

"That fucking hurts!" James said in aggression, through pealed teeth.

"?" the alien said once more, before once again electrocuting James.

"AHHH!" James roared once again, as the electricity ran through his body.

As the charge stopped, James hanged his head in exhaustion. Now he was extremely pissed off at the little green man. James pulled at the tight metallic grips holding him in place, hoping to find a weak point.

"I am going to shove that rod….straight up your ass…and turn you into an alien Popsicle." James threatened, as he pulled harder and harder trying to release them.

"?" The alien chuckled, as James's struggling caught its attention.

"Oh ya like that?" James asked, as he hoped luck was going to be on his side.

"?" the alien said, as James felt another surge of power race through his body.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" James screamed as the alien got closer and closer to him, clearly enjoying his handiwork.

"?" the alien shouted, as a mile crossed James's face, much to its confusion.

"Got YA BITCH!" James shouted, as he yanked on the shackle hard with all his strength breaking free fit and grabbing the alien by its bulbous head.

It was at this moment, James was thankful for adrenaline and his good luck. Were it not for the aliens table being mechanical, the electric shock of the baton may have done nothing in excessive use. However, because it was mechanical, enough power and force at a weak point would cause it to break open for him. Well, this is what James hoped to be true anyways. Really, he was just hoping that this would be the case and took a chance.

James quickly dropped the alien, and leaned down towards the ground to search its body. On the body he found a strange control device that looked like it controlled the table he was on. Still hunched over, he pressed a random button carefully, and released the locks holding his feet. While some would consider this good luck on his part, he still was leaning over when it released. So in fact, he fell flat on his face, naked and in pain.

"God-DAMN-IT!" James barked, as he got up slowly from the ground, rubbing his nose in pain.

An alarm began to roar, as James quickly turned his head to the side greeting the roar of the alarm with a pained look. Whoever set this off, was going to experience a world of pain.

"This shit….could only happen to me!" James shouted in aggression, as he struggled to get to his feet.

Standing up without an arm to lean on was a difficult task, but not one that he was completely foreign to. With some difficulty, James got to his feet slowly and staggered to the wall. The steel plating surrounding his shoulder burned, and he could feel the cold air on his shoulders flesh. His attention turned to the alien on the ground, and the items on the table he was crawling towards. Picking the shock baton up from the ground, James slowly walked over to the alien and grabbed it by its leg. It howled in fear, as James looked at the contents on the table. Some surgical equipment, and something that looked like a blaster sat on the table. James's attention quickly returned to the Alien, and the promise he made.

"Hey there buddy…didn't think I forgot about you?" James grinned, as he held the baton in his hand.

After a few minutes, James looked at the items on the table, hoping to find his arm somewhere among the items. Finding only some strange shaped objects and what looked like a gun, James was quickly distracted by the burning pain experienced once adrenaline wore off. He had to come up with something that would get him the hell out of there, and save anyone else on the way.

"Okay…the plan. I kill all these fuckers…Every last one of them! Find my arm…."James said, before looking at the laser weapon on the table.

"New plan…I kill every last one of these fuckers….Find my arm….get some bigger guns…" James said, as he limped toward the door. The door rolled open, as if James was being greeted by it. But as with all of his luck, James always had more bad then well.

Three aliens stood in the doorway, shock rods in their hands and a glare in their eyes. James had no idea how to use the pistol he currently held behind his back, or if it even had any ammunition. So rather than pray that luck would once again be on his side, James tried a more traditional approach when dealing with armed aliens.

"I…come in peace?" James lied, as he looked down at the little armed green men.

"?" One said, James assumed meaning that they knew he had a weapon.

"Fine I lied!" James said as he pulled out his pistol and pulled what he hoped was the trigger.

James opened fire on the aliens, hitting each one with and energy blast so powerful it managed to turn one of their bodies to dust. James stood there in awe at the sight of the corpses before him. One body had been turned to dust, while the other two remained motionless on the ground. While these creatures were nowhere near as physically strong as James (at least in appearance), this simple weapon had killed them in one shot. Anyone else in this situation would be paralyzed in fear, at the thought of being hit by such an energy blast. However, James had a different thought process to others.

"OH SHIT, I LOVE THIS GUN!" James shouted, as he stared at the piece.

Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching rapidly. That little outburst of his, may have just cost him the element of surprise. James waited for a moment, and thought for a moment about his next action. He couldn't roll out and face them, as without his arm he was left without a way to balance himself. He would have to leap out and face them head on.

"Surprise Shit-Heads!" James shouted, as he leapt out in front of his incoming targets.

James's intended firing of his pistol was halted, not by aliens, but by the actual people in front of him. Rather than being face to face with a bunch of green skinned large eyed short stomps, he was faced with a little girl, his companion Susie Mack, and a group of strangers.

"…" James remained speechless, as he stood there naked in front of the group, a pistol trained on them.

"James?" Susie asked, as James felt his face grow red in embarrassment at the situation.

"Susie?" James asked, as he lowered the blaster and stared at the group behind Susie.

"JAMES!" Susie repeated, before she leapt upon him slamming him to the ground for the second time this day.

"Susie! Get off of me!" James ordered, but he struggled to remove her from a top his body with only the one limb.

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><p><em><strong>AN: So, I have recently gotten a job and have been held up a lot due to this fact. Overall, I look forward to updating this story more, as there will be more important development in the story. Such as darker backstory's to some supporting characters, and more development of characters that had no real development prior. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: So I kinda began working on this a few days ago, and finished it up just last night. Why am I stating this? Because I really like how this chapter came out to be honest. It has some nice mirror imagery, nice introduction's to characters, and some tense scenes. Also, has some of my favorite implemented easter eggs and references I have written so far. I am not trying to hype this chapter up, I am just stating that I am happy with how it turned out. More info about future developments at the end of it. Remember to R & R, so I know you like it. Also as always, any questions you want answered, or suggestions to the story, dont be afraid to PM me. **_

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><p>James's attempts to push Susie off of him were futile, to say the least. Had he two arms, he would have her on the ground opposing him. Susie, finally getting the message her affections and concern were not mutual, lifted herself off of James. James slowly got off the ground, and found himself once again, standing butt naked in front of a group of strangers.<p>

"Who are these people?" James asked, a hint of suspicion in his tone.

"That's Sally, Somah, Ava and Bastion." Susie explained, introducing them to James.

"And they are?" James asked, having not heard the answer he wanted.

"Friends…I rescued them from these creatures…." Susie said, catching James's attention.

"You did…?" James said, impressed that Susie had managed to save a total of 4 people unarmed.

"Yeah she did…" a voice from the crowd announced.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Susie asked, saddened by the expression of disbelief in James's tone.

"A little hehe" James joked, unaware of how much this joke hurt Susie.

James studied the crowd carefully, taking in each and every individual Susie had freed. And he wondered, how she would handle losing one of them. Because, if they were going to make it out alive, it was most likely more than one of them would die. Even after all they had been through, James still spoke very little about his time out in the wastes. Something awful happened to him out there, and yet she was almost positive that he wanted to make sure she was prepared to face the same kind of obstacle.

"Are you coming or not?" James asked, impatience in his tone as he walked down the hall.

"Of course we are!" Susie shouted, as she felt something grabbing her sleeve.

"If you want your stuff back, he's going the wrong way." Sally said, as she tugged on Susie's jumpsuit.

"The hell did she say?" James shouted, knowing there was something he didn't know.

"What do you mean Sally?" Susie asked, ignoring James for the first time since they started traveling together.

"Well, they usually pack all the prisoners stuff in a room down the hall. Your friend…is headed towards the guard's barracks." Sally explained, showing no great concern for the rude man's wellbeing.

"James! Our gear is this way!" Susie shouted, as the group followed her down the hallway to the left.

Turning to face them, James realised they were not following him. A confusing event, he had never experienced before. As the group followed Susie down the hall, James could not help but follow their example. Perhaps his arm was stored with his gear? If this was the case, then perhaps James could get the most unpleasant part over with. As he followed the large group, he couldn't help but think to himself.

"So this is how it feels…."

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><p>They got to the storage point without alerting a single guard, as there wasn't a single guard posted on the way. A fact that concerned James, though this thought was lost on the rest of the group.<p>

"Here we are." Sally shouted in excitement, as they approached a room full of strange containers.

"Great!" James said, pushing past everyone else to get to the crates.

Opening the crates as best he could, James found an assortment of equipment inside. Some of it his, most of it not. No sign of his arm however, which meant James was still stuck with one arm. No sign of his pip-boy either.

"Fuck!" James shouted, kicking the box hard in anger.

"What's wrong?" Susie asked, approaching James slowly.

"My arm isn't here..." James admitted in sadness.

"Are you sure?" Susie asked, looking into the container to make sure.

"No...I am not fucking sure, that MY FUCKING ARM is in this box!" James barked, shouting at Susie in front of her new friends.

"Sorry…" Susie timidly said, as she lowered her head in fear.

"Don't apologise to him honey..." Somah said, as she came to the aid of Susie.

"Yeah he should be apologising to you!" The Rivet city officer spoke out, for the first time since James met the group.

"….." James remained silent, feeling like he was being backed into a corner.

"Guys…he doesn't have to…" Susie said, as she felt a little embarrassed by these strangers coming to her aid.

"No…I think he does!" Sally shouted, as James looked down at her.

"I am sorry…." James said in anger, as he grabbed some gear.

The others gathered around the containers and rummaged among the clothing. James stood naked holding the clothes in his arm, as he watched the others retrieve clothes from the containers. James began to relax with the idea of a group, when a certain statement caught his attention.

"My uniform!" Hall stated, as James turned his attention towards Hall.

The cream coloured uniform that was pulled out of the container was recognisable almost instantly by James, who had seen it once before. The group gasped, as he aimed the blaster towards them with intent to fire.

"What are you doing, James?!" Susie asked, as fear gripped her stomach.

"You saved a fucking Enclave!" James shouted, as his hand shook while aiming the blaster.

"What?" Susie asked, concerned that this was the first time she had seen James's hand shake while holding a weapon.

"THE FUCKING ENCLAVE, SUSIE!" James repeated, shouting now as Susie stood in front of him.

"You should have left him to rot…or better yet, killed him for me!" James barked, as he glared down at the man in uniform.

The target remained silent, as recognition became clear on his face. James's hand continued to shake, as he held back the anger and the tears trying to force freedom. Something about her innocence and trust in a greater good, always brought a smile to James. Today however, James could not smile at such naivety.

"Out of the way Susie!" James ordered, expecting her to get out of his way.

"NO!" Susie shouted in defiance, quickly bringing James's anger towards her.

"WHAT?!" James asked in shock, anger now mixed with bewilderment.

"NO! I said no!" Susie repeated, a brave defiant act in the face of a man swelled with anger.

"Do you have any idea...?" James started, before he was interrupted by an annoyed Susie Mack.

"We are all together here! It's us against them…" Susie argued interrupting James, as he continued to glare at her with contempt.

James saw the logic in her statement. They were outnumbered, and on foreign ground. It was only logical that they used all the help they could get. However, this man was still an enclave officer. One of the men that killed his father, and hijacked the old man's pointless research. James may not have liked it, but damn it, it was not theirs to take. James decided what to do then and there, in regards to the enclave officer.

"What is your name?" James asked, anger filling his tone to its brink.

The hallway was silent, as all at once, everyone knew, and did not know, who the man with the gun was referring to. Lowering his pistol, James pushed Susie aside and marched over to the Officer. James marched forward towards him, as the rest of the group backed away from the oncoming psychopath.

"I asked you a question!" James said, through peeled teeth as he stared at the officer.

"Bastion Hall." The enclave officer finally said, breaking the silence between them.

"Hall Huh? I'll be watching you…understand?" James stated, poking the officer in his chest.

"I understand." Hall stated, no change in his tone or mannerism.

James nodded in agreement, and turned to walk away from the officer, when he was halted by the officer addressing him with information.

"I was there you know…." Hall stated, catching James's attention.

"At Jefferson." Hall said, as if this place meant something to more than just James at the present.

"… And?" James asked, remaining motionless.

"I just thought you should know." Hall said, as his tone was cold and matter of fact with no sense of remorse.

Susie watched as James clinched his fist, curious and confused at what the Jefferson was, and what had happened there. Jericho would kick his ass right now, if he knew what James was holding back from doing. Resisting the desire to punch the officer's face, till it was nothing but a puddle of bone, puss and blood. The cold air sending chills over his naked body, as he now glared at them. His body remained motionless, as he starred back at them.

"You guys get changed in there, and we will wait for you out here." James explained, holding his blaster tightly.

"Don't kill him!" Susie said, as James glared at her with hatred.

"I'll do my best. Now go!" James ordered, as he stared at the smirking officer.

"You're only safe for now…" James thought, as he glared towards the Enclave.

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><p>In the other room however, Susie was slowly getting dressed into her new gear. She felt guilty for some reason, as if James's problems were all her fault. She knew they weren't, that they were his problems alone, and none of her concern. But she wanted to know the man that she had fallen for. The only problem was that she only knew the boy he was, and the man he had become didn't talk about his past.<p>

"Heeeey…nice birthmark." Somah said, pointing out Susie's butt birthmark.

"Um…thanks." Susie shyly answered, as she tried to cover up her birthmark.

"So…about that asshole you were so eager to save…" Somah said, as the other women turned to face Susie.

"James?" Susie asked, worried about the next thing that would come out of the woman's mouth.

"Yeah…him. Why bother? He seems like he's not worth a Brahmins shit. And he clearly doesn't respect you." Somah stated, believing only what she saw upon her first impression.

"He's going through some stuff." Susie stated, unsure of how to answer that statement.

"Oh honey. Don't make excuses for him." Somah stated, as she wrapped her arms around Susie.

"I'm NOT MAKING Excuses….Something happened to him at Jefferson." Susie said pushing away from Somah, having no idea who or what Jefferson was.

"….wait… is he the Lone Wanderer?!" Officer Ava asked, shock in her tone.

"Um…Yeah. I think so." Susie said, as she recalled hearing that name being used before.

Susie had been following James for some time now, but she had always referred to him as JJ, or boss, or James. She had rarely asked him about his past, or even about possible names he went by now. Even when she did, he stated that she wouldn't like to hear about it. That he did some bad things that he wished he could take back. This point just proved her belief, that she knew nothing about the man who had her heart in his hands.

"Oh…wow." Ava said, a little concern in her tone.

"Why does everyone react like that to him?" Susie barked, defending James from their verbal assault.

"He's a nebulas…" Ava said, as Susie tilted her head in confusion.

"What?" Susie asked, with a fuck off tone in her voice.

"He's hard to define…" Sally said, explaining the term to Susie.

"Meaning?" Susie asked, looking for a simpler answer than the child could provide.

"He has a hell of a reputation out in the wastes." Somah explained, as she zipped up her jacket.

"Oh…what kind of reputation?" Sally asked, beating Susie to the punch.

"The kind that make people question her sanity for saving him!" Ava explained, as the women stepped outside of the room and into the hallway.

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><p>Handing the blaster to Susie, James walked into the room and began getting dressed. A task that proved problematic with the use of only one arm. Hall followed him in, but neither of them said a word to each other. He preferred to not talk to anyone right now. He just wanted to try and get dressed, without dealing with some form of bullshit.<p>

"You have a lot of scars…." Hall spoke, breaking the silence that plagued them for so long.

"…you say something to me?" James responded, no desire to speak to the Enclave.

"I was just noting your battle scars…." Hall stated, as he finished putting on his uniform and began clipping something to it.

"…..Don't." James responded, looking at the gear he had picked out.

"Excuse me?" Hall asked, turning around to face James.

"It's none of your damn business where, when, or how I got my scars." James stated, glaring towards Hall before returning to his attempt at clothing himself.

"I am just bringing to light the fact that you seem to have seen your fair share of conflict." Hall stated, as he examined James's body.

"More…." James mumbled, as he felt his phantom limb twitch.

"Excuse me?" Hall asked, approaching James slowly.

"I have seen more than my fair share of death and conflict, thanks!" James barked, as he struggled to dress himself without his arm.

"I wouldn't have expected less from you." Hall said, a snide tone present in his voice.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" James asked, finally getting his pants on.

"Your reputation out in the wastes…It's rather colourful." Hall said, as James turned to him with a scowl.

"We are captured by some unidentified creatures, in some unknown place, and you're wasting time asking personal questions?" James stated, not wanting to talk to the enclave officer.

"I would just believe it beneficial for us to get to know each other, if we are planning to serve together." Hall explained, as he glared at James who had now just thrown a leather coat on over his body but kept it open.

"Typical military man. Well I got some news for you, soldier boy" James began, swinging around to face Hall.

"I don't want to know you, Hall." James explained, as one of his sleeves ran empty.

"In fact, I would prefer to kill you here and now…" James shouted, as the temptation to do so became almost too great.

"But that girl out there wouldn't like that?" Hall stated, stopping James in his tracks.

"Funny enough I don't think she would…" James said, anger in his tone.

"Well…when your finished getting dressed. I'll be outside." Hall smirked, as he left the room.

James noticed medals hanging on Halls uniform, as James held back the desire to punch the man in the jaw repeatedly. Swinging a bat he had found among the clothing, he halted Hall's exit so he could ask him a question.

"You were at Jefferson right? Get those for killing the doctors and scientists there?" James asked referring to the medals, a bitter tone in his voice.

"No…I got them for bravery." Hall said calmly, no fear in his tone.

"What's the difference to you?" James asked, a smug look on his face.

"Why don't you tell me?" Hall asked, pushing past the bat and leaving the room.

Dropping the bat, James reached into the pocket of his jacket and felt something.

* * *

><p>"So…what's the plan?" Somah asked, as they waited in the Hallway.<p>

"I don't know. I guess get out of here?" Susie said as she felt her stomach twist, as her grip on the blaster loosened.

"How's about this…we lose the pyscho still getting changed…and get out of here!" Somah stated, catching Susie's attention.

"Well, we could get to the engine room via the steam works." Sally explained, catching everyone's attention.

"What good would that do?" Ava asked, her nerves giving way rather fast.

"Why blow up the engine of the thing, you're driving? It's the safest stronghold in this place." Sally explained, making a good point to the others.

"It's risky." Hall stated, as he waited outside for James.

"How do you know?" Somah asked, looking at the man in uniform.

"It's like she said, why risk blowing up your engine? There's gonna be guards there, to make sure we don't mess with it." Hall stated, sounding like he was speaking from experience.

"And we can take care of them!" Somah stated, looking at the now silent Susie.

Something was wrong here, there was no security in the area and considering the importance of the equipment there should have been. It was then that Susie and the gang realised something, there were footsteps approaching them. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Raiders with shock rods appeared surrounding Susie's group. They must have found a supply of stealth boys in the other rooms, and had been using them to sneak around the creatures until now.

"Hehe. Look what we got here boys." Their leader laughed, as he approached the unarmed group.

"Shit..." Somah said, as the approached the group, twisted smiles on their faces.

"Mm mm check out the chicken legs on that one!" Another mocked, as he approached Susie.

"The little one has potential…" The fat one stated, licking his lips and approached.

"Stay close to me, sally!" Susie ordered, fear causing her body to shake a little.

"Check out the Uniform…Mm mm I like the look of that." A heavily scarred member chuckled, as he approached.

"Girls…Stay close. I'll hold them off." Hall said, as he stepped out in front of the women.

"Cute…We got ourselves a real Romeo here!" Their leader barked, as they got even closer and began to laugh in a mocking tone.

"Heehaw, lets gut him like a Brahmin." The fat one shouted, as spittle dripped from his lower lip.

Just then, the door opened and something rolled from the inside of the room. Suddenly, a flash of blinding light and a heavy ringing sound filled the hallway. Susie felt her body twist and the gun being pulled from her hand, as she was thrown to the ground, blinded and defenceless. What passed as seconds, seemed to feel like hours to each member of the small group. While they couldn't see or hear what was going on, they all knew someone was being killed before them. Susie was not sure what to expect when her vision returned. When the light cleared and the ringing stopped, Susie saw that two of the men were on the ground with smoke rising from their chests. The fat one had burn marks on his eyes, and screamed about his now lost sight. He clawed at his sockets, in a mad attempt to regain his sight. Their leader was thrown before the group, bloodied and beaten. In too much pain to even move. Their armless attacker now standing in front of a whimpering obese raider. Tapping the fat raider on the head lightly, James swung the bat behind his torso and readied himself.

"Ready, fatboy?" James asked, a sadistic chuckle escaping his lips.

"No…Please don't!" The blind fat man pleaded, before James swung the bat and connected with the raider's skull.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand He's Out of here!" James shouted, putting on an announcer voice as the raider hit the ground dead.

Striking the raider a few more times, causing blood to splatter from his skull, James spotted the leader of the raiders. Hunching down on his knees, James whistled towards the leader to get his attention. The leader began crawling away in agony, in an attempt to escape the man who had killed his fellow raiders. James began whistling a cheerful tune, as he approached the beaten raider. He tapped the bat on his boot, as he readied the swing. The group watched in horror, as James played with his victim, taking out all his aggression on the raider leader.

"Batter-Up!" James shouted, as the raider screamed for mercy to be shown.

"JAMES, DON'T DO IT!" Susie screamed, begging for some form of mercy to be shown.

"Goon-Gah- La!" James shouted, as the bat struck the man's head with such force the wooden bat burst into a shower of splinters.

Their savoir stood before them breathing heavily, blood on his face body and clothes. He swung the broken bat around, and surveyed the damage.

"They just don't make em like they use to…" James joked, as he dropped the bat on the ground and turned to face the people he saved.

The group did not meet him with praise or admiration, but rather with scornful glares and looks of fear. James walked towards Susie and the group, but felt their judging eyes on him.

"You okay Susie?" James asked in concern, as he offered her a hand to help her up.

"I am fine..." Susie blushed, as she got to her feet slowly, refusing James's aid.

"What was that?" Somah asked, catching James's attention.

"After I found a bat in the supplies, I decided to search the crates in there some more. At first…I found nothing. Then I found a few grenades that the U.F.O's must have thought were harmless." James explained, realising that his actions moments prior may have been a bit too much.

"U.F.O.s?" Ava queried, catching James's attention.

"Ugly Fucking Oddballs." James stated in a joking fashion, that was not humorous' to the others.

"Of course." Hall said, catching a glare off of James.

"So I throw the flash grenade out into the hall and…" James continued, as he wiped the blood from his coat.

"Wait. How did you know we were in danger?" Sally asked, ready to punch the creep in his junk.

"I heard the assholes through the door." James responded, as he was starting to get sick of these questions.

"He did save our lives…" Susie pointed out, not exactly happy with James but unable to halt herself from defending him.

"He's coming with us then…isn't he?" Somah asked in defeat, knowing the answer before it was even spoken.

"Yes he is…" Susie responded, a slight smile crossing her face.

"Are we really going to listen to what a child has to say?" Hall responded, showing a great disdain for the idea of bringing this maniac with them.

"She did save you….and now he did too." Sally stated, pointing out the fact they could not leave him behind now that he had saved them.

"Fine then. Bring the animal with us." Hall reluctantly agreed, as he attempted to avoid the blood drenched bodies on the ground.

"Don't I get a say in this at all?" James asked, noticing Susie's refusal to look at him.

"No you don't…" Susie said, granting James some relief over the fact that she was speaking to him.

* * *

><p>The group began walking, but were soon halted by the orders of their leader. Normally, this role would be in the hands of James, but due to the fact that it was her that saved them, that responsibility fell on Susie.<p>

"Sally… lead the way. I'll catch up after I talk with James for a second." Susie said, halting James as well.

"Sure thing…we won't be far away if you need us." Sally said, as they walked ahead of Susie and James.

James waited till the group was out of sight, before he began to speak.

"What do you want Susie…I am not in the mood for a lecture." James asked,before getting a swift slap across the face..

"Shut up. And just let me talk." Susie barked, as James rubbed his face.

"Susie…" James said in bewilderment, surprised at her actions.

"No...those were people...not monsters, not mutants, PEOPLE! And you...murdered them." Susie barked, pointing her finger at James.

"They were going to do God knows what to you, if I hadn't stepped in! Those weren't people, they were dogs! And bad dogs get put down!" James retorted, as he saw the sadness in her eyes.

"You don't have to be such an animal all the damn time!" Susie stated, as she held back her anger for the man her heart was rapidly pounding for.

"That said…Thanks. For saving us." Susie said, kissing James's cheek and blushing sadly.

Holding back her tears and tying back her auburn hair, she slowly felt her heart break in half. Perhaps finally coming to the conclusion, James was not someone she could ever love.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN cont: So you made it to the bottom of the page...Hope you enjoyed the story. So update News:**_

_**Settlement of Ants Chapter 5 is coming along slowly, as well as an addition of a new story set solely in Megaton. But I assure you they will be coming soon. **_

_**This story had several parts re-done to allow more development among the characters existing and new relationships. Most of the characters mentioned in the story do exist in Zeta, only their names and backstorie's are original idea's. Hall is the Enclave officer found dead in one of the cells at the start of Mothership Zeta and Ava is the yammering Rivet City officer. The symbols on their necks will play into a bigger part of the story in later chapters, as it does mirror the characters personalities and what the alien's intended use for them were. I am also trying not to have the characters refer to the Aliens as Aliens for now. **_

_**Anyways. Remember to R & R and I will remember to write more chapters. **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Please look towards the authors note at the end for a request by me the author.**_

_**A/N: Its here. The third chapter of this story of mine. Work couldnt pull me away from this chapter (despite no lack of trying on its part), and I am excited to share it with you. Remember to R& R and look at the note at the end of the story if you are interested in getting involved with the development of my overall story arch.**_

* * *

><p>Susie caught up with her group, an expression of hurt on her face. She studied the expressions on each of her companions, as they all showed concern for her. Gathering around her, as if they were a sitcom family from an old Holo-disc. Susie enjoyed the concern, as she didn't get much of it when she was with James and Jericho. In fact, the last time she had an injury, James grabbed her arm and snapped the bone back into place. It hurt like hell, and she couldn't stop crying by the time they had finished. Jericho made some comment about it, and James made some small attempt to defend her. But this was nice, it felt like she was at home.<p>

"Did he hurt you?" Somah asked, as she analysed Susie for bruise's or marks.

"No…he didn't hurt me." Susie answered, crossing her arms and looking towards her feet.

"Where is the son of a bitch now?" Somah asked, her head shifting from left to right in search of James.

"Huh?" Susie asked, unaware that James was no longer behind her.

"I don't know." Susie answered, a concerned expression wrapping around her face.

This was worrisome on Susie's part, as she had ran from him as he tried to justify his actions. No that wasn't true, the truth was she ran from him before he could utter a syllable. She had just assumed he had followed her, like something out of a romantic Holo-tape. But, James would never do something that romantic for her. After the level of psychotic violence she had just witnessed him display on those raiders, she wondered if he was even still capable of an emotion other than rage.

"You better not say we gotta go find his ass!" Somah warned, as Susie's attention fell souly on the group again.

"Why not? He's the only one with a gun here!" Susie stated, pointing out the fact as a cold chill brushed her body. Perhaps a tank top and cargo pants were not the best of attire.

"But he's also a violent psychotic. I don't want to see you hurt, my dear." Hall stated, removing the jacket from his uniform.

Hall wrapped his jacket around Susie, as what seemed like a gesture of concern for the young woman. The medals clanged together, letting off a small ding as the jacket settled on Susie's shoulders. It was nice of him, as Susie was feeling a little cold at that moment. Unlike James, Hall didn't seem emotionless or distant. His hair was combed back and short, not long and messy like James's. His face was warm and welcoming, and looked like it had never seen a battlefield once. Looking away from Hall, Susie felt herself blush a little as she clinched the enclave jacket. A mixture of emotions came over her at that moment. Embarrassment, happiness, gratefulness and guilt. Guilt due to the fact she was comparing James to a man he clearly hated, and worse still she felt a mild attraction to Hall. Was it serious, or was it because Hall showed her kindness when the man she believed she loved didn't.

"Yeah he could really hurt us, if he snaps again!" Ava stated, as Susie quickly snapped back to her senses.

"Look…it's down to you…Should we look for him and risk getting captured again? Or will we keep moving and hope he's skilled enough to find us himself." Hall stated, shifting Susie's attention towards him once more.

Will we look for the asshole or not?" Somah asked, wondering if Susie had any sense what so ever.

"I...I guess he could catch up." Susie stated, realising James wouldn't like it if he were there.

"Because he would not be pissed off at all, if you guys abandoned him like that. Armless. In a heavily armed ship, pun intended. With little to no back up, except for a blaster. Yeah, I am sure he would understand. Especially when he has mongo and the snake lady." A voice stated, as three figures stepped out from around the corner.

As they came into light, the group saw a large super mutant sized man, and a Hispanic tattooed woman. Their leader, was the man Susie's group was moments away from abandoning. Something dangling from the large man's hand, had caught Susie's attention. It was James's arm.

* * *

><p>Earlier, after Susie had expressed her outrage at James's heroic actions, she had run away from him. At that moment, James contemplated his next action. He considered running after her, like the hero in some old sappy romance Holo-Tape, but decided against it. She needed time to cool down, and he didn't want to make her angrier at him then she already was, by trying to rationalize his actions. Taking a deep breath, and wishing he had a cigar, James began to walk in the same direction as Susie was running when he was halted in his tracks by a pained scream.<p>

"Maybe…I am hearing thing." James said to himself, not wanting to play the hero for more ungrateful assholes.

This theory would have satisfied James, had he not heard another pained scream. James could not ignore it this time, and he had enough blood on his hands as it was. He didn't need to add to it by not attempting to save the owner of that scream.

"HORSE SHIT!" James cursed, as he ran towards the screams, his blaster drawn and loaded.

Barging into the room where the screams were coming from, James was greeted by one of those creatures holding a shock rod. James quickly pulled the trigger on the blaster and shot the bulbous headed dwarf in the head, splattering its brain matter in all directions.

"Gotcha!" James grinned as he surveyed the room for any survivors.

James blew on the top of the gun, like some Wild West gunslinger, before his attention was brought to the room itself. It was almost identical to that of the one he had found himself in when he woke up, except for there being two occupants in the room. He had not noticed they were trying to communicate with him, until he heard the softer voice of the two shout at him.

"Hey Cabron!" a woman's voice shouted.

James turned to face his addressors, partly to save them and now partly to find out what the hell cabron meant. James's jaw dropped when he saw the female prisoner as naked as he was back in his cell. Her body told James she had a fondness for tattoos, and staying in great shape. James would be lying if he said he didn't find the woman attractive, and unless her tattoos were not an indication, James believed this girl could hold her own in a fight. Then there was the other of the two, a huge man about the size of a super mutant, and built like one. He glared at James, but did not say a word. If his burn marks were any indication, he was the one whose screams attracted James to the room. James's attention quickly returned to the woman who addressed him.

"Hey cowboy…You gonna stare all day or you gonna get me down from here." She asked, snapping James out of his daze.

"After you tell me your names, and any organisation you are affiliated with." James stated, not sure if these people were to be trusted yet.

"Seriously? You can't trust us? On a space ship with a bunch of…" The large man spoke in a gravelly voice, before James interrupted his objection.

"Hey! Mongo!" James shouted, his attention now focused on the large man.

Two things. One we don't know if we are on a spaceship, and Two, I wasn't talking to you." James said, his regular forceful tone returning to him. This was the tone he used when he was threatening a raider, or a Talon mercenary, or a rogue regulator.

"You are gonna pay for that comment…." The large man grimaced, as James approached him slowly.

"Or I could just leave you here for the pissed off occupants of this 'ship' to find, and continue playtime?" James stated, turning away from the large man.

"How's that sound?" James asked, looking towards the exit and wondering how many shots were left in the blaster.

"Sounds like a deal to me, papi." The woman stated, a smile crossing her face.

"Maria Francesca Estopheze, I'm a circus performer." Ms Estopheze stated, as James approached the holding area.

"Okay. Nice to meet you." James said, as he looked her up and down.

"You bet it is." She responded sultry, a smile on her face.

"Now as much as I love the kinky shit… Mind getting me out of these things, baby?" Maria said flirtatiously, as she wiggled in her bounds smiling at James.

"I don't know, you look so good up there in them." James said jokingly, confidence in his tone.

"Mmm you a bad boy. We gonna get along just fine, papi." She said, as James walked towards the headless alien body.

"Christ Sake!" The large man stated, as James came to a realisation.

He remembered that when he escaped his shackles, he had a far more painful and unnecessary way to open them. In the end it was a button on a device, found on the body of the alien that was shocking him that granted him his freedom. Searching the sticky wet body of the headless creature, James found an almost identical machine to the one that freed him. Lifting it from the body, James turned towards the two and waved the little device. He had Maria on his side, but he was planning to just push random buttons and hope they unlocked the bounds. And if he unlocked the big guy first, he would have to deal with a mutant sized pissed off mongoloid. Turning towards him, James took a deep breath and looked the large man in the eye.

"You are going to come with me, and be my back up." James said, a stern and commanding look on his face.

"You asking me? Or telling me?" The man asked, a threatening tone present in his voice.

"If it helps you sleep at night…you can tell people I asked you." James stated, his face void of expression.

"I got no other choice do I?" The man sighed, as he hung his head in defeat and anger.

"No you got a choice. Either, you help me and I get you some clothes' and weapons to kill our accommodating hosts, or I leave you here for them to find and take out their frustrations on." James explained, as his tone now bordered on condescension and threatening.

"Fine! I'll help you out!" The man shouted, as defeat claimed his tone.

"Good!" James smiled in victory.

James began bashing buttons on the device over and over, hoping one would release the two. Eventually, the locks opened and the two people fell forward to the ground. Approaching the two, James gripped his blaster tightly, unsure if he could still trust the two. Maria got to her feet much quicker than the large man, but James was unsure whether this was because of his large size compared to her, or that he had just been tortured by the creatures.

"You guys okay?" James asked, as he stood over the two.

"Yeah, peachy…." The large one grunted, as he got up from the ground.

"So what's your name?" James asked, as he scratched his head.

"Kassidy Mason…I was….an inmate in a Texas Prison." Kassidy admitted, as James shook his hand.

"And what's your name, cutie?" Maria asked, her flirtatious nature clear to James.

"James Cole." James stated, not wanting to state the junior part or his other name.

"And…?" Kassidy asked, as James turned to him and smiled.

"And, I am the guy who just saved your asses." James grinned, as he turned his back on the former inmate.

Just then, James spotted something on the table adjacent to the surgical tables, his new allies had been freed from. It shined like a shiskabob in the black wasteland night sky, and had a glistening of red on it.

"Wait… is that…" James asked, as he squinted his eyes to make sure he was seeing what he believed.

"Is what, What?" Maria asked, a chill in her voice from the cold.

"Holy shit, it's my arm!" James announced in glee, ripping the metallic arm from the table and surveyed it with intensity.

The stains on the steel were from the artificial blood, used to hold the synthetic skin on the arm. It almost could pass for real blood, if it didn't stain so easily and taste like Nuka Cola and Mentats.

"Your arm?" Maria asked, curiosity in her tone as she approached her saviour.

"What the hell is it doing here?" Kassidy asked, he too approaching James now.

"I have no idea…" James admitted, as he still studied the arm.

Raising his head, James saw a difference in this room compared to his own. Unlike his room, this room had several of the equipment crates he had seen prior inside of it.

"Open those crates mongo!" James ordered, as he studied his arm.

"Fuck off with that mongo crap, I told you my name is Kassidy!" Kassidy shouted, as James turned to face him.

"And I Just told you to open the damn crates!" James barked, as he realised the hardest part about finding his arm was to come.

Kassidy raised the crates over his head and threw them across the room, as if they were pillows. His strength would surely come in handy, at a later stage. However, James just wanted him to cover up his body now. The clothes in the containers broke free, and were scattered along the cold sterile floor.

"Well, there's some clothes. You better hope they fit, because we got to find the rest of the group." James stated, still analysing his arm.

"There more of us?" Maria asked, as she put on a leather vest jacket.

"Yeah, so let's hurry the hell up." James ordered, leaving the two to get dressed. James just hoped he could find the group in time, as he still did not trust Hall.

* * *

><p>Susie was speechless and scared, at the fact that James had overheard her betrayal. None had said a word since James's return, and none wanted to. James just stood there, a dark smile on his face as everyone stood watching his next move. It was Susie that finally broke the awful silence.<p>

"So…you found your arm." Susie said, nervously trying to direct the topic away from their almost abandonment of James.

"Oh yeah…Now step two is getting it re-attached." James stated, trying to fight the urge to make an outburst at each of the traitorous fucks.

"Does it fit in a specific way?" Kassidy asked, as he waved it around in the air.

"Careful with that!" Maria ordered, kicking Kassidy in the arm and exhibiting her expert stretching skills.

"No…It fits in like you're putting an arm on a doll. Simple enough really." James explained, as simply as he could.

"So there's no problem." Hall asked, as he ripped the arm from Kassidy's hand and examined it.

"I wouldn't say that. It's...ACK!" James explained, before Hall jammed the arm back into James shoulder.

The arm clicked and squelched as it entered the slot, the sound was one would expect to hear from a bio mechanical arm being re-attached. However, James quickly fell to the ground and began groaning, as if something was tearing up his insides.

"James!" Susie shouted, as James vomited blood onto the ground.

"Are you okay?!" Maria shouted, as James's body twitched.

"Shit, what did you do?" Kassidy asked as he looked down at James's body, and then towards that of Hall.

"I didn't do anything to him…I just pushed his arm back in." Hall rationalised, as he retreated towards the crowd.

"You stupid fuck!" James barked, but his body still didn't move.

"What's wrong!?" Somah asked, finally showing some concern for the young scarred man.

"My whole nervous system is resetting itself, trying to get used to the circuitry in the arm…Ah!" James groaned still not moving, but expressing great desire to in his tone.

"And my immune system is trying to distinguish whether or not my nervous system is under attack." James continued, his breathing becoming heavier with each passing word.

"Wait what?!" Somah asked, anger and irritation in her tone.

"Basically…My whole bodies wondering if it's going to shut down completely or not. I needed med-x to numb the nerves. But, thanks to the son of a bitch that re-attached it, my bodies in despite need of medical equipment for the shock." James barked, his tone masking his intense pain.

"What do we do?" Susie asked, her tone full of concern now for the man she was about to abandon.

"That depends. Do ANY of you have any med-x?" James asked, as he held back his screams as every nerve lit aflame in pain.

"No" Ava answered, as they all looked towards one another.

"Know anywhere I can heal up real fast?" James asked, a sarcastic condescension in his tone.

"No." Susie responded, not fond of James's tone.

"Then I am screwed! Ack!" James responded, making a sound to indicate his increasing discomfort.

"I know a place." Sally admitted, gaining the attention of everyone surrounding her.

"Then lead the way Snot!" James shouted, as Kassidy picked him up from the ground.

"Follow me!" Sally huffed, as She ran towards the steam works.

* * *

><p>The hallways of the steam works were cramped, and were not suited for a group as large as this one in one area. On the other hand, Sally had promised to get the Jerk to the healing arch before he died. As they moved down the sweltering corridors, Sally stopped in her tracks just short of the entryway to the healing arch.<p>

"What's wrong?" Susie asked, approaching the little girl.

"The arch is guarded…." Sally said, worry in her tone.

"Well…this isn't how I saw myself dying…Ahk." James grunted, hung from the shoulder of a large man.

"Going out…being carried by a man…on some sort of prison ship." James confessed, as he felt his body give into the pain of his nerves reconnecting.

"There has to be something we can do." Susie stated, as James raised his head in pain.

"Go back in time…and Stop dickless from re-attaching my fucking arm, and punch him square in the nuts with my metallic arm." James painfully stated, hanging his head once more.

"I didn't know this was going to happen!" Hall argued, loud enough to get the attention of the creatures guarding the door.

"Great work soldier boy! Vamonos!" Maria shouted, as Kassidy fired the blaster he had taken from James, killing the creatures with ease.

"In there!" Sally shouted, leading the group into the once guarded room.

There was a large archway in sight as they entered, which Susie assumed was the healing mechanism Sally spoke of. Sally ran over to a supply crate, and began clumsily pulling things out of it. She pulled out a rifle, some ammo, a laser pistol, and a baseball bat.

"This thing could heal him, put him inside!" Sally said, as she searched the crate.

"You heard her! Put him in there!" Maria ordered Kassidy, as she smashed something from the nearby shelf and formed them into stabbing weapons.

"Perfecto!" She said, as he ran her finger down the sharp shard of material.

"What are you doing?" Ava asked, as she picked up the laser pistol and ammo for it.

"Making me a shiv, chika." Maria stated, pressing her back against the wall.

"They will be back soon. Hurry up!" Sally stated, as James coughed heavily again.

Kassidy placed James carefully into the archway, allowing Susie to quickly come to the lone wanderer's side.

"You can't die!" Susie pleaded, mild affection for the man returning to her.

"Sure I can….watch me prove you wrong!" James chuckled, as the red lights along the archway illuminated and de-illuminated.

"That's not funny James!" Susie shouted, peeling her teeth at the lone wanderer.

"Everyone's a damn critic…" James coughed, showing no signs of improvement.

It was in this moment, James remembered something he had promised himself a long time ago. Something that kept him strong, even in his darkest hours.

"Never Give up or surrender…..even in the eye of impossibility." James grunted, as he struggled to talk to Susie.

"What?" She asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"It's a promise…I made to myself. A long time ago. Sound's cheesy, I know." James confessed, passing a smile to Susie. Susie smiled and chuckled sadly, as she ran her hand down his face.

"You are about to break that promise…." Susie stated, as James looked up at her.

"Never said I was good at keeping promises." James responded, as he let out a pained chuckle before noticing Susie's tears.

"Are you crying?" James asked, wondering if he was seeing things.

"No…" Susie lied, as James smiled with pride.

"Comon…I'm the last person you should be crying over..." James said, as he closed his eyes.

"Susie we need you out here!" Hall shouted, as the battle outside the room had begun.

"Do not die on me!" Susie ordered, not gaining a response from James.

"Bring out the blaster." Ava ordered, as Susie picked up the blaster and ran onto the battlefield.

Energy blasts riddled the air above them, as they remained pinned down by their captors. Maria and Ava were the only ones capable, it seemed, of landing a kill shot on any of the aliens. However, even their weapons had their breaking points.

"We are so fucked!" Kassidy shouted, staying behind cover.

"I'm going to need that rifle soldier." James ordered, snatching the rifle from Hall's hand and checked it for ammo.

"James?!" Susie shouted in surprise, as he approached her, avoiding every blast fired at them.

"Give me that blaster…" James ordered, taking the blaster from Susie's hand and stepping out in the sight of the creatures.

Gripping the rifle in his metal hand, and the blaster in the other hand, he stared at the confused creatures for a moment. Had there been music playing, this would look like something from an old western Holo-tape. Suddenly, James brought the weapons forward and fired at the enemy. They responded in kind. Rolling along the ground to avoid their fire, James came within arm's length of one and quickly pushed him into the others. Dropping both weapons, he rushed towards them. He didn't want to be the only one with a gun after this fight, and certainly didn't expect to find too many lead based weapons around this ship. Lowering his body and raising his leg quickly, James connected with a spin kick to the side of one of the creature's heads. Then, clinching his fists and taking a boxers stance, James began beating the remainder of the creatures with his fists. He had found their weakness, while dangerous at a distance, these creatures were useless in fist fights and feats of strength. Once they were all knocked down, James kicked their weapons a healthy distance away from them and reached into his pocket.

"You know…You guys should really watch what you hide around this ship." James said, pulling out a round cylinder from his pocket.

"?" The creature announced, as James shoved the cylinder in its mouth.

"Hold on…I am talking." James warned, as he pulled the grenade from its mouth.

"See this here? This is a plasma grenade…dangerous thing to organic life forms. Literally can turn you into mush. And your "advanced" race…left it next to some sort of healing machine." James explained, examining and showcasing the plasma grenade.

"For a bunch of super advanced ugly fucking oddballs…you're pretty dumb." James said, as he got to his feet and placed the grenade among his wounded captors. He then pulled the grenade, and walked towards the large group. A large green blast erupted behind him, and the screams of its victims were heard and then quickly silenced.

"Wow…did he just…?"Somah asked, speechless at the reckless actions of the man who moments ago was near death.

"Yup…" Ava responded in amazement, unsure if she was seeing things or not.

"Oh wow…" Sally stated, as James stepped in front of them.

"That! Is how you fire a gun." James barked, as he smiled at the group.

Susie felt her emotions run wild, all she wanted to do right now was punch him in the nuts and kiss him all. She was just about to run into his arms and do just that, when Maria leapt on him and began showering him with lustful kisses. Speaking in some foreign tongue to him, as she roughly caressed his body. James began to laugh, before finally pushing Maria off of him. Susie felt rejected. As if she was losing him to another woman right before her very eyes. Actually, that was exactly what was happening. Susie wanted nothing more than to strangle the whore off of James, and beat the crap out of her. But she knew she lacked the strength, and confidence to do so. James finally got to his feet, and with a smile began to address the group.

"Now we got three problems. One I am still experiencing mild numbness in my arm…which has encumbered my aim." James explained, much to the shock of the group who had just seen him single handily take down a group of armed attackers.

"Two, my nerves are still experiencing spasms so…once again I am not going to be great in a fire fight, if we are pinned down. Three…" James started, before punching Hall in the stomach.

"What the hell was that for?!" Hall gasped and wheezed, holding his stomach tightly.

"Oh I am sorry…a Spasm!" James stated, before punching Hall across the jaw.

"You son of a bitch!" Hall barked, as he held the side of his face.

"That was me actually hitting you…Stupid bastard." James stated, as he rubbed his flesh hand.

"Three…Hall has a broken nose." James continued.

"Wha-"Hall started, before once more he was punched in the face by James.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, JAMES!" Susie barked, as James chuckled in glee.

"Honestly I never thought someone would be that stupid, to fall for such an obvious trap. And yet, here we are." James laughed, as he turned to face the rest of the group.

"Okay…seriously. Three, we are heavily outnumbered and have little weaponry." James explained, this time a serious demeanour to him.

"What do you say we do?" Somah asked, as Kassidy looked at a weapon James had procured from the attackers.

"I say… we play it by ear…and hope none of us die." James stated casually.

"We need a plan!" Susie barked at James, getting his attention.

"I need a bottle of Nuka-Cola Quantum and sugar bombs." James responded, getting confused looks from the group.

"What?" Ava asked, as James turned to face the rest of them.

"I'm sorry, are we done asking for things we don't have time for?" He asked, the condescension in his tone no longer attempted at being masked.

"Good…lets go."

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><p><em><strong>AN:Hello, this is more a request than anything else, and its to those fans of my stories who want to get Involved In helping write charactors as well as get reconition/ advertised in my stories.**_

_**So here is the request. I am looking for cover art for this story as well as two more characters to add to the team of Zeta, and I want to use my fans characters to do so. So I am asking any artists, be it deviant art or whatever to kindly donate a character they want me to implement as a part of the Zeta team, or some cover art for the story. This is purely voluntary. **_  
><em><strong>In the realm of the character part, I am looking for characters that are not from the vault and can be situated at any time during the story. Raiders, Mercs, Soldiers, Knights, because of the broadness of Zeta's captives (samurai and cowboy) you have free roam with whatever character you want to see. But keep in mind that they may die at some point. Character sheets are welcome, and if you have a background to them, I would like to hear itread it. Any info you think could help would be great. **_  
><em><strong>You will be, of course, thanked for your hard work and mentioned as well as a link to your profile to whatever site will be presented in the next update following your submission. Mail me the link to the art here, or mail me it on deviant art  .**_  
><em><strong>There is a closing date sadly. December 12th, if not sooner. "<strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yup its here. The latest Chapter in my project about Mothership Zeta. I am pleased with how this chapter turned out and hope you all enjoy it. I am still taking Submissions for my little contest(More info at the bottom of the page) and have to thank everyone who has entered thus far.**

**So rather than hold you up any longer from reading this anticipated chapter, I will thank you for your support and remind you to Read and Review and all that good you.**

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><p>James watched as Susie cared for halls broken nose. He had to admit jealousy swept through him a little. Hall might be considered a handsome man to some people, but to James he was just a uniform. He also had to admit, hitting the son of a bitch felt good.<p>

"Feel better?" Kassidy asked, indifference in his tone.

"Much." James responded, cracking his knuckles with glee.

The group fell silent, all now afraid of what James would do if they crossed him, with the exception of three members. Maria, because she had never been more turned on in her life. Kassidy, because he found it impressive, the way he slaughtered them. And Susie, because she hoped he would not hurt her.

"This way." Sally pointed meekly, directing past James down the hallway.

"I'm sorry about him…" Susie apologised, as she examined Hall's nose.

"Thanks…" Hall stated, causing Susie to blush at the sound of his gratitude.

"You deserve better than him ya know…" Hall continued, catching Susie off guard with such a comment.

"What do you mean?" Susie stated, playing dumb and catching the attention of Hall and some of the group.

"I see the way you look at him… You care about that asshole." Hall said, observing the embarrassment and shame

"No! I mean… we're just friends." Susie stammered, unsure of her own feelings now.

Unfortunately, James heard every word. His fists clinched in anger and sadness and jealousy. He couldn't trust Hall, and he was disappointed at the response that his friend had given. He was not sure if he liked Susie in the manner that Hall was referring to, but he was certain that he didn't like the idea of Hall dating her. Okay, maybe he did like Susie a little. Or maybe he just wanted what he couldn't have. He was not sure, but if that's all he was to her, he could accept it. Hall was right. Susie deserved better than him, someone much better. But Hall didn't deserve someone like Susie, James was positive of that.

"Well, I won't lie, that's kind of a relief to hear." Hall said, a smile crossing his face causing Susie to blush further.

"Hey…you guys coming?!" James asked, as he gut twisted and turned in anger or was it jealousy...

A loud thundering roar came from the engine room as the survivors entered. Hall was still holding his nose, and Susie was now glaring at James who was getting loving stares from Maria. She knew there was some jealousy in her emotions, over the fact that Maria was able to act on the emotions she felt for James and Susie was not. Ava and Sally were standing in Kassidy's shadow, whose large frame took up a majority of the hallway's space. Of course, how do you tell a man of Kassidy's large size that he is taking up too much space? Somah, unlike the rest who were concentrating on the task at hand, was mesmerised by the amount of tech that surrounded her. She had always loved finding new toys and testing their limits, but this was like a jet addict living in a house made of the stuff.

Turning the corner, James saw the answer to the question they were all asking. Before him, was a clear glass window that peered out into the vacuum of space. Lowering his weapon, James stepped forward bewildered at the blackness of space, illuminated only by the stars in the distance. His gut twisted, and contorted as James realised just how trapped he was. Taking a deep sigh, he pressed his hand to the window and continued to stare vacantly into literal space. Blocking out all that surrounded him. Every minute, every itch, every blink, every sound that occurred. Blocked out, as if he was asleep while awake.

"It's amazing…all those lights in the sky…like diamonds." James said quietly, feeling the approaching presence of his companions.

"You know…someone once told me that all those stars, were the dead, keeping an eye over us." Sally responded, equally as bedazzled by the empty vacuum of space before them.

"That's a nice thought…." Ava said, as she smiled at the little girl.

"So everyone who died, is out there now looking down on us?" James asked, a soothing sad tone taking over his voice.

"Only the good ones." Sally said, looking at the Lone Wanderer.

"If that's the case, how many of those people, do you think, you are responsible for? James?" Hall asked, as James took a heavy gulp of regret at the memories this man was bringing forward.

"?" A screech echoed from the top of the stairwell, belonging to one of the creatures.

"Look out!" Ava shouted, as she blocked an incoming blast from one of their weapons from hitting Sally.

"Shit!" Kassidy bellowed, as he began firing the rifle James had given him at the creature.

"Get down!" Susie shouted, as everyone leapt aside, bar James who had pulled out his blaster and began firing erratically at the creatures.

Kassidy had ducked around a corner for cover, but James remained in site, firing at the attackers. Hall leapt onto the battlefield and began dragging Ava aside under the stairs.

"FUCK!" James grunted, Susie seeing that his shoulder had been hit by one of the energy bolts.

Kassidy leapt out and charged towards the monsters above. Getting some blasts to his arms and shoulders, he remained unhalted. The burning was intense, like each of his nerves were slowly clipped from one another in a fluid motion. However, he fought through the pain. Grabbing each two by the skull and slamming them into the third one like a sandwich, Kassidy had killed the group's three attackers before falling to his knees gasping for breath.

"Holy shit…"James said, impressed by the brute force Kassidy showed.

James began searching nearby crates in a drastic fashion for medical supplies, seemingly ignoring that of everyone else in the team. Finding some stimpacks and Med-x. He raised his head, and looked over the team. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes and got to his feet.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Susie asked, slapping James across the face.

"That's getting pretty old now Susie!" James barked, not in the mood to be treated like someone's bitch.

"You want to die?! Is that it?! You just want to leave us marooned on a spaceship with…ARE YOU IGNORING ME!?" Susie shouted, as James walked past her and over to Ava.

"No, No and Yes" James responded, much to the infuriation of Susie.

Kneeling down in front of Ava, James analysed the burn on her back. It reminded him of his own burn back in GrayDitch, searing and painful. This was going to hurt Ava for some time.

"Give her some space!" James barked, causing Sally and Somah to step back from them.

"Sally…do me a favour, and give the big guy a shot of this…" James said, handing the little girl some med-X.

"And then, give him all of this." James continued, passing her a stimpack.

"O…Okay." Sally stammered, as her and Somah went over to Kassidy to do as they were told.

Hall was being praised by Susie for his bravery at pulling Ava out of harm's way to James's left, while Maria was watching James work from his right. James wasn't looking to get killed, in fact, he was protecting Ava by having their captor's focus their fire on him. Hell, he had even been hit by some of their blasts, but he had fought through the still active pain to save a woman who voiced her disdain for him. Taking off his leather duster, and folding it, only to throw it in a ball to his left. His toned scarred frame visible to the naked eyes of the group once more.

"You're a very brave woman…You know that?" James asked, as he removed the armour from her body.

"What are you doing?" Ava asked, feeling her combat armour being stripped from her body.

"Removing your armour. It will make everything so much easier…trust me." James explained, Ava unable to resist her armour being ripped from her body.

"Wha…why are you stripping me." Ava asked, a nervous tone clear in her voice.

"Because I want to see your tits- Why do you think? I am going to help you with you damn burns!" James barked, as he prepared the needle full of med-x.

James knew that armour would just aggravate the burn while it healed, plus it wasn't much use anymore. The blast had burnt a large hole through it, resulting in a now useless chest piece. James knew Kassidy's burns would be much worse than that of his own and Ava's, due to the fact that he charged into the blasts head first. Needless to say, James was pretty impressed at how awesome he was.

"You got hit too…" Ava stated, spotting some burn marks on his chest and arm.

"Tell me something I don't know…" James said, as he injected her with Med-x and then the stimpack.

"Why are you helping me?" Ava asked, as James put his duster back on.

"You're still talking…Damn you're a tough one." James ignored the question as he walked towards the stairwell.

Walking up the stairs, James approached the healing Kassidy and his nurses. He was closely followed by Hall, and Maria and Susie who were carrying Ava. His body stun from the blaster burns. Quickly, he jabbed himself with a stimpack to begin healing. A lack of Med-X meant he would feel his nerves reform slowly, and while it was not an intense pain, it was not exactly a comfortable feeling.

"Don't move for a few minutes…Okay?" James recommended Kassidy, as he lifted up the blaster from the ground.

"No 'thanks for saving my asses?" Kassidy asked, a smile crossing his face.

"How's about we just call it even for me saving your ass before?" James responded, patting Kassidy on his shoulder.

"Deal." Kassidy agreed, as Ava was sat beside him.

"Okay…the rest of you follow me…Kassidy. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." James ordered as he looked ahead,

"How long is that list?" Hall asked, a smile on his face.

"Longer than ya think." James answered, a grimace on his own.

"Okay…Now what the fuck do we do?" Somah asked, the team entering the loud revolving engine room.

"These are doors to the other areas in the ship." Sally explained, as the team found themselves on a walkway reaching out in four directions, including the way they came.

"And?" Susie asked, unsure of the relevance of the information.

"She means they can continue attacking us." James coldly answered, as he bit his lower lip surveying the area.

"Hold Up! You said we would be safe here!" Somah barked at Sally, Hall holding her back from doing further damage.

"No…I said they wouldn't blow it up." Sally explained, afraid of Somah's rage.

"BUT WE ARE SURROUNDED BY THESE FUCKING CREATURES NOW!" Maria panicked, as she held the sides of her head.

"Yeah…But they won't attack us full on. And we have the advantage of being close to their defences. Right?" Hall explained, as James walked north towards the chamber ahead.

"Yup. Bastian's right." Sally agreed, as James peered his head through the spaceships door.

"Okay, well were do those areas lead?" Susie asked, as she looked at the other doors connected to the walkway.

"Well…that one leads to where they keep all the junk they find on people and either burn it or take it somewhere else." Sally explained, as Susie realised that was the place they were probably holding all of their equipment. She also realised that that was probably the reason James found Stimpacks, clothes, and grenades, they were going to be brought to the incinerator.

"Next to it, where they keep their space ships." Sally continued, as if she was giving a guided tour of the place.

"Over there is where they keep their robots." Sally stated, as Somah's attention was quickly grabbed.

"HEY!" James called out, catching the attention of everyone there.

"What?" Susie asked, jogging towards James in curiosity.

"You might want to check this out…" James said, his attention returning to the cold room holding four human sized chamber. James chuckled, now desperately wanting to make a cold shoulder comment to Susie.

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><p><strong>AN 2: We all know what comes next. I am excited, I mean I know whats coming, but I am still so Excited. **

**Contest: I have two positions to fill on the Zeta Rebels team and I am asking for people who want to see James and Susie meet a character of theirs to submit them. ****So Far I have a good few character submissions, including A Nazi, but I want to see more(They dont even need to be humans, they can be robots, ghouls, supermutant). See the variety of characters out there who we all invent for these stories. ****Y****ou dont need a picture, but it is welcomed. Just PM me with a picture or description or both of the character you want me to add to the story. You will be credited with the characters creation and thanked in the authors note of every chapter that character appears in and the final chapter. Now I must also state, that your character may die on Zeta, but if I plan to kill him off at any point then I will talk it over with the characters owner. The closing date and reveal of who the characters are is on December 12, I look forward to the entries. So, if interested PM me. Thanks.**


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:Whats this? its up? And Late? Yay! And now here we. **_

_**The winners of the contest will be announced at the bottom of the Page, And their stories will be introduced in the next update. In the future. Please R&R so I know all my hard work was not in vain. **_

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><p>The cold gas from the chambers surrounded their bodies as they peered inside the small room. There was another doorway that lead to another part of the ship, but for the moment the small group could only concentrate on the frozen people in the chamber. James wished he had worn more than just a duster now, as the cold gas caused a chill to run over his body. He would need to find more clothes to warm up if he was hoping to continue along this resistance. Hall pushed past James and approached one of the capsules, causing James the desire to punch him again.<p>

"What are they?" Susie asked, walking into the cold chamber.

"Frozen" James responded smugly.

"Hehehe" Sally and Maria both chuckled at James's joke.

"I mean what are they doing here?" Susie asked, irritated at the joke and how amusing she really found it.

"Staying frozen." James continued, chuckling now to himself.

"Stop being a smart ass!" Susie barked, annoyed at James's lack of cooperation.

"Stop making it easy." James responded, mocking Susie and her authoritive.

"HEY!" a voice broke out, interrupting the scrabbling youths.

"It's a cowboy!" Sally announced, excited at the sight of the frozen old western.

Walking over to the chamber, the group saw that there was indeed a cowboy in the chamber. Susie felt a strange sense of excitement wash over her at the sight of him. He was like something from her father's old western movie Holo-tapes. He looked like he would fit right in with the group from the movie "The Amazing Eight". Susie's smile dropped as she recalled those better days in the vault, her family happy and safe. Those Saturdays, where they would gather around the old Holo-tape player and watch a movie as a family, together and happy. Her brothers wrestling over which movie to watch, sometimes she would have to pick for them. She gave all that up now, and maybe she regretted it a little. After all, despite all their training she still wasn't nearly as good a fighter as James, she even believed butch was better suited to the waste.

"Um…Susie?" Hall whispered, grabbing Susie's attention.

"Hmmm?" Susie reacted, being broken out of her trip on memory game.

"Yeah Bastion?" She asked, looking at the handsome young enclave.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

"Sure." Susie agreed happily.

"Privately…" Hall emphasised, placing his hand on her shoulder tenderly.

"Um…okay." Susie agreed, feeling a little uncomfortable with his hand on her shoulder.

Taking her away from the group who were now looking at the other chambers in great fascination, Susie and Bastion moved out of earshot. Susie felt a little awkward about Bastion's hand resting so near her ass, but never the less, she allowed him to keep it there.

"Susie... You need to take command." Hall blatantly announced, much to Susie's shock.

"What…" Susie mumbled, taken back by this sudden mantle of leadership offering.

"Look, we are in a situation where leadership is necessary. Otherwise, this little coup-de-ta of ours is doomed." Hall explained, although this little coup was in fact James just keeping people safe.

"Well, why don't you take command then? You have actual military experience. Why me?" Susie asked, as she felt her stomach twist and convulse in fear. She was a nervous vomiter.

"I am aware I would be the preferred choice to lead, but sadly there is an obstacle in my way that would sooner see me die than let me lead." Hall explained, making it all too obvious who he was referring to.

"James?" Susie asked, positive of her identification.

"Exactly, that barbaric bastard would sooner put a bullet between my eyes than allow me to lead us to safety." Hall confirmed, a dark tone present in his voice as he explained.

"So why me?" Susie asked, fear still in her voice.

"Because, I trust you. And so does he" Hall stated, running his hand down her face.

"But I don't know how to lead!" Susie stated, liking the feel of his hand on her cheek.

"I'll help you, I promise!" Hall stated, attempting to convince the young woman to take the position.

"Okay…I'll talk to james." Susie agreed, realising that she was literally unable to argue with Hall.

"If you think it's for the best…I won't argue with you." Susie smiled at this statement, knowing his was lying.

James ran his hand along one chamber, revealing a strange looking creature looking back. Stepping back in shock, James concentrated on the creature sleeping in his frozen sleep. It was then that James noticed a control panel beside each of the chambers, holographic rings gyrating into a sphere floating over it. Catching James's curiosity and wonder, causing him to reach out and attempt to interact with it. The sphere separated out and scattered around James hand, re-forming into what seemed like smaller rings around each finger. Were this happening in any other situation, James would laugh and admire how fucking cool it was. But he had more important things to consider.

They needed to find out whether or not these oversized popsicles could be trusted. After all, there seemed to be raiders aboard this ship as well. With that in mind, James had every right to be cautious, even paranoid, about who they would free. There was too much to lose in this situation to allow mercy cloud his better judgement. At least, any more.

Susie slowly approached James, caution in her movement. Clearing her throat and catching James's attention, Susie was readying herself for one of the biggest arguments she believed she would ever have with him.

"Something wrong birthmark Butt?" James asked, aware of Susie's approach.

"Um…I think we need someone to lead us…. if this group is going to get bigger." Susie poorly explained, trying to sound as convincing as Hall.

"Do you?" James responded, his mind focused on that of the rotating rings orbiting his fingers.

"Yes, and I think I should be that person." Susie stated, watching her friend press holographic symbols.

"Uh-huh." James said, pausing to answer her.

"Are you listening to me?" Susie asked, becoming frustrated at his lack of caring.

"Will this conversation end if I say yes?" James responded, trying to concentrate on what he was doing.

"James this isn't a joke! I am being serious." Susie barked, wanting to hit James hard.

"Really? Oh so am I, but I can see that I am failing." James responded sarcastically, fed up with Susie's recent attitude.

"What the hell is that meant to mean?!" Susie asked, wanting an explanation.

"Well, it's just that I have found myself on some kind of spaceship, surrounded by potential threats, grouped together with people, half of whom seem to hate my guts. I have been burnt, electrocuted, had my arm taken off of me, and then put clumsily back on. I have been ridiculed, insulted, I am currently freezing my nuts off AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, I AM NOW BEING FORCED TO TALK POLITICS!" James barked, anger directed at his friend Susie.

It wasn't that James didn't care about Susie, in fact he had learned to care a lot for her over the last while. But, his feelings aside, he was not in the mood to talk to her when she was getting so chummy friendly with a man he didn't trust.

A beeping sound distracted James from his argumentative partner, bringing his attention to the source of it before him. A small block had fallen out of the panel, and a button on it began glowing.

"Hey, I got something!" James realised, calming down almost instantly.

"Hey, I was talking!" Susie stated, angry at James and embarrassed over his outburst towards her.

"Shhh!" James hushed Susie, his attention now focused on the sound emitting from the cube.

A male voice echoed over the monitor, most likely belonging to the creature in the pod.

"_**This is...this is incredible! I'm...I'm Colonel Hartigan, of the United States Air Force.**_

"_**?"**_

"_**I'm sorry, what? I don't understa...oh, speak into this? Yes, I was saying, I'm Colonel Hartigan, United States Air Force."**_

"_**Our nation has been conducting manned spaceflight tests...I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me. Frankly we never expected to meet you all!"**_

"_**I'm sure there's a great deal that our two species can learn from zap"**_

"_**Oww! What the Hell? What is this, what are you doing?"**_

"_**?"**_

"Got ya!" James said with a smile as took the small block into his hand and put it in his pocket.

James began walking around the room, playing each and every audio file about the cryo chambers prisoners.

"_**Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..."**_

"_**?"**_

"_**Gah! Just let me go, okay?! This is crazy, this is like batshit unbelieveable crazy. I didn't do anything, I don't know what you want with me."**_

"_**Is this because of Anchorage? I swear I didn't even want to be there, man. You gotta believe me."**_

"_**I didn't even WANT to be out in the field! I was hoping for a job in Washington, you know?"**_

"_**?"**_

"_**What? What do you want? I don't understand! Why is this happening to me?"**_

"Next!" James smiled, as he played the next cube.

"_**?"**_

"_**Where's my wife? Where's my boy? What have you done with them?"**_

"_**When I get free, so help me God I'm going to kill every last one of you!"**_

"_**?"**_

_**( Physical Hit)**_

"_**Arrgh! What are you doing? What the hell do you want with us? LET ME GO!"**_

"Okay, Cowboys in." James said, realising that the cowboy lost someone important to him and therefore deserved to get the revenge he deserved.

"Yay!" Sally said with great enthusiasm, bringing a smile to James face.

"_**Nanda kono arisama ha? Youkaihenge ka?"**_

"_**Hanase, imasugu!"**_

"_**Kikoenuka, hanase, ima... zap"**_

"…"

James pressed the button again, to make sure he was paying attention to what was being said.

"_**Nanda kono arisama ha? Youkaihenge ka?"**_

"_**Hanase, imasugu!"**_

"_**Kikoenuka, hanase, ima... zap"**_

"Ok…I guess he's in..." James said, not really sure what to think about what he had just heard. Other than he sounded pretty pissed off at the creatures.

James walked over to the control panel that was at the entrance of the room. He assumed these were the controls to unfreeze them all, and if not, he got to play with more cool looking stuff.

"How do you know how to use those recorders?" Hall asked, as James began typing on the control panel.

"I found one on earth a year ago…" James responded, trying to figure out what the hell he was doing as his mind remembered that day a year ago.

James remembered the day dogmeat not only found him a new laser, but also some strange glowing cube in some wreckage he assumed was a crashed vertibird. The blaster was broken, almost beyond repair, but with the technology he had now, he could probably fix it. Back then, he remembered that he fiddled with the cube for a few hours and finally opened the audio file. The message was something like:

"**This is my final message. If this doesn't work, I hope someone gets this recording and can bring it back to Earth."**

"**I've been able to figure out how to use some of the alien devices, like this recorder, and I think I know what they want with our world."**

"**They mean to take as many of us as they can and change us into...some sort of abomination. Many have been killed because of their experiments."**

"**They've been keeping us in cells, and then moving us one by one to their experimentation labs. I've managed to escape, but they are looking for me."**

"**You've got to send help up here. As far as I can tell, they're never going to stop until they've captured hundreds...maybe thousands of us."**

"**The good news is that they're totally reliant on technology. Without it, they're no tougher than you or I."**

"**A small, well-equipped force could take this ship and free all of the prisoners on board. That's your best chance."**

"**I've got to keep moving, so I need to hide this tape. Good luck to all of us, and Godspeed."**

When he first heard this message, James assumed it was a guy on jet just getting high and hallucinating. Or something like that. Hell, after what James saw in that Vault, he could believe anything was possible to the senses under the influence. James always laughed whenever he heard the recording, because he thought it was funny. Now, he wondered why he had laughed.

"So…these guys are prisoners?" Somah asked, having wanted to avoid any of the kiddie arguments.

"Was there any doubt?" Maria asked, pointing out that Somah was stating the obvious.

"Then why haven't we unfroze any of them?" Sally asked, as James continued to type on the control panel.

"Same reason I didn't release Kassidy when I first found him, we need to know if they are any use to us." James explained, believing he was getting the hang of this.

"It's amazing…" Susie commented, much to James's disappointment.

"What?" James asked, turning to Susie and expecting the worst from her.

"You treat people like shit, and use them like pawns in some sick game. Then you expect everyone to treat you as a hero, or to feel bad for you when you have a breakdown. You're not only pathetic…your just a horrible person! Not only would your father be ashamed but….No your mother would be disgusted!" Susie barked in anger, trying to hurt James the same way his words hurt her.

His fist slammed the control panel, silencing her and expressing just how much he was hurt. He hung his head, not looking anyone in the eye. Sparks flying from where he slammed his hand, as he remained motionless and speechless. His long hair hung down by the side of his face, as he looked at the ground and removed his fist from the control panel. He clinched his fists in rage, as his head rose to the sound of chambers opening.

"Make sure their okay." James said, turning around to face the door.

"I'm gonna check on Kassidy." James explained, pain in his voice.

"Then what?" Somah asked, as she approached the groaning space man.

"Then, we go in there to find more reinforcements." James said, pointing towards the door at the end of the room.

"James…I'm..." Susie started, feeling guilty over how she spoke to him.

"Don't…..Just don't." James barked, leaving the room.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: And the winners of my little contest (in no particular order) are:**_

_**Cryosmith (Character: Erich [A former Nazi Officer])**_

_**Falloutlover666 (Character: Kaine [ A former Talon Merc)**_

_**And a surprise extra entry**_

_**MrxVaultxBoy (Character: Alexander Chase [ A spec ops soldier from the wars early years])**_

_**Thanks for all the entries and all who wanted to get involved. And I hope that everyone enjoys these characters introduction.**_


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